{"id":659,"date":"2018-07-10T17:32:57","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T21:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seankirbycopy.com\/?p=659"},"modified":"2020-05-15T13:04:50","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T17:04:50","slug":"drive-blog-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seankirbycopy.com\/drive-blog-traffic\/","title":{"rendered":"How to drive blog traffic, even if nothing has worked before"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I decided to write about how to drive traffic to a blog, my first thought was to create a massive list of blog promotion tactics. Honestly, that would probably generate more interest, social shares and backlinks than this post.<\/p>\n

So why aren\u2019t I doing that?<\/p>\n

Because it wouldn\u2019t be as helpful to you. At least not yet. In fact, it would probably do you more harm than good. You could spend hours every day completing a list like that with very little to show for it. That\u2019s one reason \u201cHow do I get more traffic to my blog?\u201d is one of the questions I hear most.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that those promotional tactics are bad. In fact, you\u2019ll need to use many of them to build your audience. But you need to know how and when to use them.<\/p>\n

The first thing you need to do is change your mindset away from \u201cI have a new blog post, now how do I drive traffic to it?\u201d Really, you need to start way before you write your post, especially in the beginning. Blog promotion is the epitome of flywheel marketing.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with the concept, read this excerpt from Jim Collins\u2019 book Good to Great<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Picture a huge, heavy flywheel\u2014a massive metal disk mounted horizontally on an axle, about 30 feet in diameter, 2 feet thick, and weighing about 5,000 pounds. Now imagine that your task is to get the flywheel rotating on the axle as fast and long as possible. Pushing with great effort, you get the flywheel to inch forward, moving almost imperceptibly at first. You keep pushing and, after two or three hours of persistent effort, you get the flywheel to complete one entire turn. You keep pushing, and the flywheel begins to move a bit faster, and with continued great effort, you move it around a second rotation. You keep pushing in a consistent direction. Three turns … four … five … six … the flywheel builds up speed … seven … eight … you keep pushing … nine … ten … it builds momentum … eleven … twelve … moving faster with each turn … twenty … thirty … fifty … a hundred.<\/p>\n

Then, at some point\u2014breakthrough! The momentum of the thing kicks in in your favor, hurling the flywheel forward, turn after turn … whoosh! … its own heavy weight working for you. You\u2019re pushing no harder than during the first rotation, but the flywheel goes faster and faster. Each turn of the flywheel builds upon work done earlier, compounding your investment of effort. A thousand times faster, then ten thousand, then a hundred thousand. The huge heavy disk flies forward, with almost unstoppable momentum.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Getting traffic to your blog is just like pushing that flywheel. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to get it going, and you just can\u2019t afford to spend time and effort on a spray and pry approach. You need to exert your energy on the things that are going to get the wheel moving.<\/p>\n

But when you do build momentum, everything becomes much easier. For instance, when you get more subscribers, there are more people likely to share your posts, which brings in new readers who may subscribe. That\u2019s one turn of the wheel. And you can see how it builds each time around.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s just one simple example. The ideal blog promotion plan for you may include a combination of compounding tactics and factors. But you have a little work to do first.<\/p>\n

Start here for best results<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before you jump into promotional tactics, you need to develop a strategy. And I\u2019m not just talking about a marketing strategy. I\u2019m talking about a business strategy. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

Your potential readers don\u2019t need another blog. They already have dozens to choose from in just about every niche. What they need is something better. They need something more actionable, more insightful or more relevant. They need something they can\u2019t get elsewhere.<\/p>\n

You need to determine how you are going to differentiate and provide this unique value.<\/p>\n

For example, when Peep Laja<\/a> decided to start ConversionXL<\/a>, he studied the competition first. He noticed that most posted short articles that were a little thin on the content. So he decided to go in-depth. The results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

\"Conversionxl.com<\/a> \"ConversionXL<\/a><\/p>\n

Groove is another example of a blog that found success through differentiation. Instead of writing the standard “how to” articles most start up blogs post, Groove\u2019s founder offered a transparent look at Groove\u2019s successes and failures in their Startup Journey<\/a> blog. He has stated that this is their biggest driver of new customers.<\/p>\n

If you want blogging to work for you, it\u2019s essential to figure out what\u2019s going to make you different than the sea of other options.<\/p>\n

Study the other blogs in your niche. What are their strengths? What are the weaknesses? Are there any content gaps you can exploit? Can you niche down? Can you establish a unique voice or angle that stands out?<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t just think about the topics of your blog. Your audience is even more important to your strategy. Determine who your ideal reader is and formulate a promotion strategy around that.<\/p>\n

If you know that your target readers are active on reddit, for instance, it makes sense to spend effort establishing and leveraging a presence on relevant subreddits. If they aren\u2019t, then don\u2019t waste time there.<\/p>\n

When researching your audience, consider questions such as:<\/p>\n